Abalone Porridge

We are in CNY mood.  Do not feel like cooking as the maid in not very fast or competent.  So I decide to do easy cooking - porridge.  I love Teochew porridge but my wife love Cantonese porridge.  We have to compromise every time when we have porridge.  First, let me explain the difference.  Teochew style is the rice grains are still in its individual form and plenty of liquid which is "rice soup".  Teochew porridge has dishes like omelette with chopped preserved radish, braised eggs and tofu, steamed fish, salted eggs, steamed fishcake, braised peanuts, kiam chye and other salty dishes.  Whereas Cantonese porridge is rice gruel where you cannot see grains of rice.  Only consistent glue-like liquid like a thick soup.  There are no dishes.  You can add meat, meatballs, sliced fish, cuttlefish or 1000 year eggs with salted meat, intestines and other ingredients.  The "chok" is a complete meal with youtiao as the complement.

I cooked the porridge Teochew style i.e. stopped the heat once the rice has become fluffy.  I sliced honey bake ham into 1 cm squares and slice my green lip abalone thinly.  Then I heat up the porridge again stirring it vigorously to break the rice grains and added the ham and sliced abalone.  The porridge is grainy as it has not been boiled on slow heat over a long time.  On the lazy susan, I have small dishes of kiam chye, crispy pork floss, braised peanuts and achar with chopped peanuts.  It is a heavy dinner.